Life has been kicking my ass lately. Yeah, I know that's not news. It happens to everyone, but I offer it up as the lame excuse for the light posting on Rocket Jones, both in quantity and quality.

This morning my XHTML final is due. We were given a set of specs and a bunch of content and turned loose to whup it into a site. It's got image maps (those pretty pictures you click in different areas for links), input forms, lists inside lists, tons of text formatting and anything and everything else the instructor could think of to toss in there. Individually, nothing too difficult. Except that we're doing this all from scratch - no Front Page, no Movable Type or Blogger. Every last bit of code is by hand. Believe me, finish a test like this (10+ hours for me so far, mostly at home in the evenings), and you freakin' know XHTML.

Daniel, I haven't forgotten the meme you tossed to me. I just haven't had a chance to give it any thought. Although when I do come up with something, I'll be able to format it beautifully. Heh.

Ooooooooooooklahoma! - Mookie's school musical - opened last night. She said it went well. Liz and I are going tonight.

Everyone else in the family (wife, kids... not the dogs, so not everyone), has had some sort of drama or minor tragedy happen this week (I'm not trivializing the tragedy aspects, it's minor in that nobody died). I'm rather proud as I watch events unfold and see how everyone keeps their cool and just deals with the crap that life dishes up sometimes. Maintaining composure and doing the right thing doesn't mean you're unfeeling, it just means that you can save the tears or hurt or frustration for later, when it won't be so inconvenient to let it out.

So the weekend is upon us. Things to do are already piling up like cop cars in a Blues Brothers movie, and I'll just take things one at a time and do as many as I can until the critical ones are taken care of or I decide that enough is enough and it's time for a nap.

I'll try to do better, but no promises for the immediate future.

Posted by: Ted at 05:55 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Lock your doors

Posted by: Ted at 05:36 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Turn off your phones

Posted by: Ted at 05:34 AM | category: Square Pegs
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It's time to visit

Posted by: Ted at 05:32 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Rocket Jones

Posted by: Ted at 05:30 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Burma Shave!

Posted by: Ted at 05:28 AM | category: Square Pegs
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1 Billboard blogging! LOL!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 21, 2005 10:46 AM (O65Bv)

2 Cool concept. Well done.

Posted by: JohnL at April 21, 2005 02:39 PM (Hs4rn)

3 Um, isn't it supposed to rhyme? [There's one in every bunch, and I'm it ]

Posted by: Susie at April 21, 2005 10:01 PM (I7fob)

4 Smack me upside the head with a limp zuchini! Phones...Jones....Duh! I think I better start taking my medication again....

Posted by: Susie at April 21, 2005 10:14 PM (I7fob)

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There's a short list of people on the 'net that make me green with envy amuse the hell out of me, and Anna is one of them.

Primal Purge is back.

Posted by: Ted at 06:38 PM | category: Links
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It was so warm inside my freezer that Ted Williams was complaining.

Posted by: Ted at 12:20 PM | category: Square Pegs
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This week's Top Secret Recipe is for Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing. It's only up for the week, so if you want it, grab it now.

I thought the background story was kinda neat:

Indeed, ranch dressing was invented at Hidden Valley Ranch near Santa Barbara, California, by a real salad-wranglin' rancher. In the '50s and '60s Steve Henson and his wife, Gayle, shared their 120-acre dude ranch with University of California at Santa Barbara students and other festive partiers for rousing weekend shindigs. The dozens of guests were serve meals of steaks and salads topped with Steve's special blend of herbs, spices, mayonnaise and buttermilk. As word got out about the fabulous dressing more guests were showing up at the ranch and walking home with complimentary take-home jars filled with the stuff. Eventually Steve figured he could make a little cash on the side by packaging the dressing as a dry mix and selling it through the mail. At first he was filling envelopes himself, but within a few months Steve had to hire 12 more people to help with the packaging. Soon Steve had a multi-million dollar business on his hands, from a product that for 10 years he had been giving away for free.

Dude ranch. Cowboy. Steak. Buttermilk. Don't mind me, just settin' out some Google-bait.

Posted by: Ted at 12:13 PM | category: Links
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I talked about getting together at a minor league baseball game and got several responses from folks interested in meeting up. Most suggested a Saturday game to make getting around the metro area a bit simpler. Sounds like a plan to me.

So, the official word is: I and the family will be attending Potomac National's games on May 14th and June 25th for sure. They're both Saturday games with fireworks afterwards. We'll probably be seeing other games throughout the season too.

Leave comments or email me at Rocket Jones (one word) at gmail dot com.

Posted by: Ted at 11:58 AM | category: Square Pegs
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1 ME TOO! ME TOO! I love baseball and I'll have saturdays off from work! YEA!

Posted by: Robyn at April 20, 2005 02:11 PM (/AsC4)

2 Victor and I are in for the 14th for sure!

Posted by: nic at April 20, 2005 07:10 PM (Sx8zO)

3 I should be available for either or even both. I love fireworks. Is it BYOB or pay-$10-per-draft-there?

Posted by: dawn at April 21, 2005 02:08 PM (jFpDX)

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Remember I wrote about "Bad Surprises"? Specifically, when our washing machine conked out and dumped an entire cycle of water onto the basement lake floor.

Oh, the joy continues.

Last night we discovered that when they delivered the new washer, the guys unplugged the freezer in the basement. We hadn't gone into the freezer since and only found it last night. We lost everything.

We called and raised hell. Sears is supposed to call back this morning. I faxed them an itemized list of all the food in the freezer.

Pissed off is an understatement right now. They have one chance to make it right. If they screw this up they'll have lost a lifelong customer.

Posted by: Ted at 04:28 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Best of luck to him as he guides the Church through difficult times.

Posted by: Ted at 04:35 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Thanks to Random Nuclear Strikes for pointing the way to this... I have no idea how to describe it, other than rude, crude and hilariously funny.

Posted by: Ted at 06:12 AM | category: Links
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I don't know much about the subject, but the only reason Pujols wasn't picked to be the top Cardinal right away has to be because of his age. Either that, or that bastard Rolen is campaigning behind his back.

Posted by: Ted at 06:07 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Remember?

Derek and Amy have already entered.

Posted by: Ted at 05:07 AM | category: Links
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1 How long 'til our time is up? I've got an idea, just haven't had time to realize it graphically.

Posted by: JohnL at April 19, 2005 04:20 PM (YVul2)

2 No hurry.

Well, don't take *forever*, ya know?

Posted by: Ted at April 19, 2005 04:38 PM (+OVgL)

3 I could give you a crude drawing!

But I can't scan it so nevermind.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 19, 2005 10:41 PM (N9ddL)

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From today's Aerospace Industry Association press release:

Teams Will Meet in Fly-Off May 21

Arlington, Va. – The stage is set for a fiery showdown of the top teams in the Team America Rocketry Challenge after AIA announced the 100 finalists Friday.

The teams will meet for a final fly-off on May 21 at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. for the title. It is the third year AIA and its partners are putting on the worldÂ’s largest model rocket contest. A list of the finalists is available at www.rocketcontest.org.

A total of 712 teams from 49 states and the District of Columbia – and even an American middle school in Germany – took part in the preliminary round of the competition. That represented close to 10,000 middle and high school students.

AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass said interest in the contest shows it is succeeding in reaching out to middle and high school students.

“We are excited to see the enthusiasm surrounding TARC and look forward to another great final day of competition,’’ Douglass said.

This yearÂ’s competition tasks students with launching a one- or two-stage rocket and having it fly for exactly 60 seconds. The payload of one or two raw eggs must return safely to the earth, and each flight receives a score according to performance and weighted for the number of stages and eggs. Teams had until last week to send in preliminary scores to see if they made the finals, which features schools from 28 states.

AIA created the contest two years ago as a one-time event to mark the 100th anniversary of flight, but overwhelming interest turned it into an annual event. The goal is to promote aerospace to students to attract more young people to careers in the industry. The contest is also sponsored by the National Association of Rocketry in partnership with NASA, the American Association of Physics Teachers and 34 AIA member companies. The winning teams share a prize pool of $60,000 in savings bonds and cash. NASA also provides top-performing teams with grants for students to build more advanced rockets and for teachers to attend workshops and meet space program engineers.

For more information about AIAÂ’s Team America Rocketry Challenge, including details on how to sponsor a high school team and to apply for press credentials to attend the finals, visit www.rocketcontest.org.

Mookie and I will be attending again as volunteers. We've worked all three (they hold the finals at our home field), and it's fun and exciting to see the various ways that the student teams solve the challenging task they're given.

Spectators welcome.

Posted by: Ted at 06:50 PM | category: Rocketry
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It was only a matter of time:

"Each year, 15 million cases of bacterial food poisoning originate in U.S. home kitchens, resulting in nausea, diarrhea, fever, and even death," read a press release French's issued Monday. "Now, lunch doesn't have to endanger your health! All-new French's Antibacterial Mustard is the perfect way to add flavor to, and subtract harmful disease-causing bacteria from, your family's favorite meals!"

Coming to a television near you:

"Approximately 9,000 deaths per year are attributed to foodborne pathogens, and the most germ-filled location in the house is the kitchen," a woman says as computer-generated footage zooms in to show worm-like spirochete bacteria multiplying on a slice of bologna. "Normal mustards do nothing to combat the germs that begin forming on meats and cheeses as soon as they're taken out of the refrigerator. But an hour after spreading on our powerful French's Antibacterial Mustard, your lunch is still free of everything but zesty mustard taste!"

Not really. It's the Onion.

Posted by: Ted at 12:13 PM | category: Links
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The AHL season concludes today and playoffs begin shortly. Hopefully next year we can cheer for NHL teams once again.

Here's the list of players, thanks to all of you for playing:

Albany River Rats - Victor
Lowell Lock Monsters - Kin
Binghamton Senators - Dr Funk
Bridgeport Sound Tigers - Spork
Portland Pirates - Nic
Hershey Bears - Derek
Worcester IceCats - Heather
Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins - Catt
Cleveland Barons - Ted
Hamilton Bulldogs - Cindy
Manitoba Moose - Gir
Houston Aeros - Matt
Rochester Americans - GEBIV
Milwaukee Admirals - Brian J & Frinklin
Utah Grizzlies - Jenn

For those who don't know what this is all about, the simple rules are here.

If you didn't play this year, you're welcome to join us next year for the Third Annual Hockey Whoopass Jamboree. Not interested? What have you got against tradition?

Posted by: Ted at 12:09 PM | category: Links
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1 it was fun. Hard to keep up with at times, but fun.

Posted by: Derek at April 18, 2005 01:09 PM (wEVXE)

2 I feel so ashamed. After the first week, I hardly ever payed any attention to the jamboree. I thought that I would be able to keep an eye on the Rochester Americans since they were so close as well as being the 'farm' team for the Sabres. But without the NHL, I just couldn't get into hockey at all this year.

Fortunately, the Amerks won a lot of their games this year, so much of the time I had the right logo up on my sidebar anyways...

We'll see what next year brings.

Posted by: GEBIV at April 18, 2005 03:13 PM (vI2yr)

3 So, like, did anyone actually keep tabs on the match-ups? Can we produce a Whoopass League Standings? No doubt I'm in the 2nd division...

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 18, 2005 10:12 PM (Ns1Gb)

4 Spork, keeping track of those standings would be way too much work. I didn't bother.

Besides, my Cleveland Barons wound up dead last, so of course I'll claim that standings are overrated. LOL

Posted by: Ted at April 19, 2005 05:57 AM (blNMI)

5 I was remiss last week in including the Utah Grizzlies logo on my page because one never expects to lose to the Grizzlies.

Posted by: Brian J. at April 19, 2005 09:00 AM (V04ml)

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Kitty Says
Pole Dancing In the Dark
American Warmonger
Beekeeper
Grumbles
Alex In Wonderland
Weasel Manor

Hola and welcome.

Posted by: Ted at 06:07 AM | category: Links
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This dish comes from a set of recipe cards called "My Great Recipes" that we got in the early 80's. Somewhere along the line, they were packed up and sent to the attic. Last year I found the cards and went through them, throwing away the ones I knew I'd never make. This one was a survivor. I made it this weekend as a side for roast chicken and it's really tasty and different for a rice dish. As given, this makes quite a bit, but the recipe is easily halved or even quartered.

Toasted Herb Rice

ingredients
2 cups long grain rice
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
20 oz chicken or beef broth, boiling
1 1/2 cups water, boiling
6-8 green onions, chopped
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dried tarragon or basil leaves

directions
Put rice into an ovenproof casserole dish with a lid and place into a 325 degree oven. Roast for 20 minutes or until the rice is toasted and golden. Remove from the oven.
Add butter to the rice and stir until melted. Pour boiling broth and water over rice and stir.
Cover and return to the oven. Bake 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and rice is done.
Stir in the chopped green onions, soy sauce and herbs.

Serves 8.

If you're baking a chicken or roast at 350 degrees, this can still be done at the same time, just reduce the baking time and keep an eye on it.

Posted by: Ted at 05:03 AM | category: Recipes
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